Halloween Girl, Book. 1: Promises to Keep (Graphic Novel Review)
By: Joseph Perry (Twitter - Uphill Both Ways Podcast)
When I reviewed the premiere issue of writer Richard T. Wilson’s Halloween Girl graphic novel series (Mad Shelley Comics) just over a year ago, I was intrigued by that first installment — based on Wilson’s The Halloween Girl film and its sister web series, Under the Flowers — and wondered where the series would take readers. I’m happy to say that it went to places wholly unexpected by yours truly, and the result is the graphic novel Halloween Girl, Book. 1: Promises to Keep.
The main character of the series is 18-year-old Charlotte Williams, AKA Halloween Girl, who happens to be a ghost. She and her slightly older best ghost friend Poe make for an engaging pair as their adventures together branch out from a relatively simple beginning to a full-on quest to solve a mystery that involves Charlotte’s young son. Wilson’s storyline is thoroughly entertaining. An enigmatic entity known as The Hollow, which is merely hinted at in that first issue, is brought to full, diabolical life as the series continues. A backstory involving Poe is also fleshed out wonderfully.
Readers will find themselves immersed in weird, often chilling worlds in Halloween Girl, Book. 1: Promises to Keep. Wilson’s dialogue is deftly written, from emotional discussions between Charlotte and Poe to creepy exchanges involving villainous forces.
The black-and-white artwork from artists Stephen Mullan, Pietro Vaughan, Wanderer Luna, Charaf Mezioud, and Eleonora Garofolo ranges from the deceptively simple to more heavily shaded and detailed, with everything from splash pages to extreme close-ups looking super. The range of styles makes for an absorbing, eye-catching visual accompaniment to Wilson’s sharp scripts.
To order Halloween Girl, Vol. 1: Promises to Keep, visit :
Joseph Perry is one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast (whenitwascool.com/up-hill-both-ways-podcast/). He also writes for the film websites Gruesome Magazine (gruesomemagazine.com), The Scariest Things (scariesthings.com), Horror Fuel (horrorfuel.com), B&S About Movies (bandsaboutmovies.com), and Diabolique Magazine (diaboliquemagazine.com), and film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope (videoscopemag.com) and Drive-In Asylum (etsy.com/shop/GroovyDoom).
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